This was an appeal against the Judgment of the High Court of Jigawa State sitting at Dutse, delivered by Hon Justice A.I. Gumel (retired). The trial court had convicted the appellant for the offence of rape against an 8-year-old girl and he was sentenced to seven (7) years imprisonment with ten (10) strokes of cane for ten (10) market days. The appellant being dissatisfied appealed to the court of appeal, while the respondents also cross appealed against the sentence of the appellant. The Court had dismissed the appealed, allowed the cross appeal and substitute the sentencing to Life Imprisonment. Justice Lamido in the lead decision found that “…the trial Court has on this score erred greatly in passing lesser on the Appellant than the prescribed mandatory sentence provided by the section (which is contrary to the Penal Code Miscellaneous Amendment, 2014).
